Researchers at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Discuss Findings in Hospice Care (Barriers to Hospice Care in Trauma…

Researchers at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Discuss Findings in Hospice Care (Barriers to Hospice Care in Trauma Patients: The Disparities in End-of-Life Care)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Drug Week -- New research on Terminal Care - Hospice Care is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating from Madison, Wisconsin, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "End-of-life and palliative care are important aspects of trauma care and are not well defined. This analysis evaluates the racial and socioeconomic disparities in terms of utilization of hospice services for critically ill trauma patients."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, "Trauma patients greater than or equal to15 years old from 2012 to 2015 were queried from the National Trauma Databank. Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression analyses for disposition to hospice were performed after controlling for age, gender, comorbidities, injury severity, insurance, race, and ethnicity. Negative binomial regression analysis with margins for length of stay (LOS) was calculated for all patients discharged to hospice. Chi-square analysis of 2 966 444 patient's transition to hospice found patients with cardiac disease, bleeding and psychiatric disorders, chemotherapy, cancer, diabetes, cirrhosis, respiratory disease, renal failure, cirrhosis, and cerebrovascular accident (CVA) affected transfer (p <.0001). Logistic regression analysis after controlling for covariates showed uninsured patients were discharged to hospice significantly less than insured patients (odds ratio [OR]: 0.71; p<.0001). Asian, African American, and Hispanic patients all received less hospice care than Caucasian patients (OR: 0.65, 0.60, 0.73; p<.0001). Negative binomial regression analysis with margins for LOS showed Medicare patients were transferred to hospice 1.2 days sooner than insured patients while uninsured patients remained in the hospital 1.6 days longer (p <.001). When compare to Caucasians, African Americans patients stayed 3.7 days longer in the hospital and Hispanics 2.4 days longer prior to transfer to hospice (p <.0001). In all patients with polytrauma, African Americans stayed 4.9 days longer and Hispanics 2.3 days longer as compared to Caucasians (p <.0001). Race and ethnicity are independent predictors of a trauma patient's transition to hospice care and significantly affect LOS."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Our data demonstrate prominent racial and socioeconomic disparities exist, with uninsured and minority patients being less likely to receive hospice services and having a delay in transition to hospice care when compared to their insured Caucasian counterparts."

For more information on this research see: Barriers to Hospice Care in Trauma Patients: The Disparities in End-of-Life Care. The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, 2018;():1049909117753377 (see also Terminal Care - Hospice Care).

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting K.L. Haines, 1 Division of Trauma and Critical Care, Dept. of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States. Additional authors for this research include H.S. Jung, T. Zens, S. Turner, C. Warner-Hillard and S. Agarwal.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909117753377. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Madison, Wisconsin, Hospitals, Hospice Care, United States, Terminal Care, Health and Medicine, North and Central America.

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